He spent the next few minutes explaining the crisis and the fact that they were weeks behind. She was cool, calm and collected through receipt of the news and all the implications for her and her department. It was also noteworthy that the only thing that got a reaction from her was his use of the word ‘intimate’.
“So. Now that I’ve lowered the boom, as they say, I’m eager to hear your reaction.”
“My reaction? That’s why they pay me the big bucks?”
He tilted his head. “I know how much you make. It’s not big bucks.”
She smiled. “It was a joke.”
“Of course, the big bucks.” He returned her smile and held her gaze for a second. “What do you need from the rest of us to make this happen?”
“I need to see the report. Who? When? What do they do for The Order? We can hand off requisitioning medical supplies to medical, food to Crisp, and make housekeeping responsible for readying the apartments and dorm rooms that have been closed. I’ve got to have a total count on beds really soon though.
“Oh, I’ll also need the flight schedules. My trainee assistants can coordinate pickups at the hangar. So long as someone else has made sure that there is enough support staff, we’ll be okay.”
She stared for a moment as if she was expecting Rev to say something.
“Yes?”
“Would you like me to double check the duty apportionment data to make sure we have the right ratio of support staff to knights and trainees?”
“That would be very much appreciated. I don’t like unpleasant surprises.” She laughed out loud. “What?”
“Well, who does? By the way, I’m not getting involved with anything to do with the armory.”
Rev nodded. “Do you think you’ll have an idea on where we are by tonight?”
She pursed her lips. “We better. They’re coming ready or not. Right?”
“Right. So, in that case, would you like to have dinner with me and go over your thoughts, insights, discoveries…?”
She blinked several times. “I can make a report to you here.” She looked around his office like it was safe.
“Yes, but you have to eat. I have to eat. Think of it as multitasking.”
“Business dinner.”
“Strictly business.”
“All right then.”
“I’ll come by the office at eight. That is, if you think you’ll be working late.”
She snorted and immediately regretted the sound she’d made, even though she told herself that she didn’t care what the new Sovereign thought of her. At all.
“Yes. I will be working late. I’ll stop for dinner and then get back to it.”
Rev’s eyes roamed over her appreciatively. “I wish I could tell you that wouldn’t be necessary. But the fact is that this entire convergence depends on you.”
She met his gaze and saw that he was being sincere and not just polite. “Thank you for noticing. I’ll do my part.”
She caught the twinkle of amusement in his eyes when he smiled. “I know you will. Eight o’clock.”
At three o’clock Storm, Ram, and Elora were waiting in the hall outside the new Sovereign’s office wondering what in the world he might want with them. There was no one in the outer office because there was a shift of trainee duty at that time of day.
Storm was in midsentence telling the other two what he knew about the new guy, when the inner office door swung open.
Rev motioned to them. “Come in.” Short. Terse. Authoritative. He acted like a man who’d been running that office forever, not like someone who’d just arrived and was feeling his way around. “Come on in and take a seat.”